The genius of Urban Meyer isn’t in the X’s and O’s. It never has been. Over the course of four head coaching jobs, three national titles and a career 85% winning percentage, the secret sauce is his ability to tap into the minds and emotions of 18-to-22-year-olds.

Talent matters, of course, and Meyer gets as much of it as anyone. But once that talent is in place, what separates Meyer historically is the focus on chemistry and culture, getting them to believe in things like unselfishness and accountability. Meyer is always searching for what will motivate his players, always trying to diagnose what they need to perform at their best.

But relying so much on the psyches of young men is a high-risk, high-reward proposition. When it works, the tension Meyer creates between himself, his players and the expectations around them produces spectacular results. When it fails, however, it looks a lot like Ohio State losing 55-24 at Iowa.

Saturday was, quite simply, the worst loss of the Meyer era at Ohio State. That’s inarguable, largely because there have been so few of them. Now deep into his sixth season, Meyer is 68-8 with a national title under his belt, and there’s no reason to believe the Buckeyes are going to stop being relevant nationally as long as they continue recruiting at the top level of the sport.

But it’s also true that at 7-2, Ohio State is now working on a third consecutive season of underachievement. That might be harsh, given how good the Buckeyes have been relative to everyone else in the country. By their own standards, however, and the expectations for a roster that has as much pure talent as anyone outside Alabama, it’s not exactly a rousing success.

Since the 2014 national title, which came a year earlier than anyone expected, something has been off with Meyer’s program. Sure, the Buckeyes can stumble and slog through most of their regular season and it doesn’t matter because they’re so much better than the teams they play. But they rarely hit their highest gear, and that has bitten them in key games.

In 2015, there was no excuse for the Ohio State team with Ezekiel Elliott and a cast of experienced stars to lose at home to Michigan State, which had to start a third-string quarterback. The Buckeyes were arguably the best team in the country, every bit as good as Alabama, but didn’t get a chance to show it.

Then last season, Ohio State got gifted into the playoff despite losing to Penn State, failing to win a Big Ten title and beating Michigan after a highly controversial fourth-down spot went in their favor. Still, they were so highly thought of that they ended up about a field goal favorite over Clemson in the playoff. That trip ended with a humiliating 31-0 defeat.

In other words, it’s been awhile since Ohio State really looked and felt like the kind of big-time championship contender it’s supposed to be. The glossy record has covered up a lot of flaws, but now at 7-2 after a no-show against Iowa, a new reality is setting in for Buckeye fans.

They looked inept against the run. They couldn’t throw when they needed to. Quarterback J.T. Barrett turned it over early and handed the Hawkeyes a ton of momentum. And when Ohio State needed to dig down deep, as it did last weekend against Penn State, there was nothing in reserve.

For Ohio State, the preseason No. 2 team, it’s now a wasted year. It’s the first one they’ll have experienced under Meyer, who burned out quickly at Florida once his dominance started to recede. We’ll see if history repeats itself with the Buckeyes, but the ultimate coaching perfectionist looks less perfect all the time.

FIVE MOST MISERABLE

Ohio State: Now that it’s open season to find flaws with the Buckeyes, let’s go back to the original premise. Meyer has been successful in college football for a long time, but his biggest successes were with teams that won big before they were supposed to (Florida 2006, Ohio State 2014) but then couldn’t recapture the magic as the championships invited distractions and drama.

There’s something to the idea that Meyer’s culture-based approach, rather than the robotic process of an Alabama, works perfectly with young players because they don’t know any better. It’s all emotion, all the time, and he gets the buy-in right off the bat. But when people start to realize their own agendas — a natural byproduct of winning and the opportunities that come with that — the threads start to pull apart.

Beyond that, there doesn’t seem to be a backstop. Meyer’s spread offense was once revolutionary, but it’s now run-of-the-mill from a scheme standpoint. His Greg Schiano-led defense has been a bust this year despite his preseason hyperbole about having the most talented defensive line he ever coached, including the NFL.

In other worse, unless Ohio State has that kind of special chemistry it captured it 2014, it’s going to be a very talented, but ordinary kind of football team. And those kinds of teams can get beat. Meyer needs to realize that and figure out how to fix it, or Saturday will be a more common occurrence than he wants to believe.

North Carolina State: As a program, the Wolfpack historically have never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity. And if they were ever going to get a real shot at an ACC title in this era, Saturday was probably as good a chance as they’re going to get for awhile. They had the right team, the right home crowd, the right opponent and the right moment. So it was disappointing enough for the Wolfpack to lose a very winnable game to Clemson, 38-31, catching the Tigers on a rare day where their defense looked less than dominant. Some fans responded to the disappointment by hurling debris at officials as they left the field, which was ridiculous, but fans are fans. Coaches, however, are supposed to be better. Dave Doeren wasn’t better. In fact, he took a turn right down Conspiracy Road, complaining about the officiating and demanding an investigation into a laptop spotted on the Clemson sideline. (A Clemson spokesperson told Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports it belonged to a member of the social media team.) Raising the specter of an illegal laptop — i.e., the Clemson coaches cheating — was baseless and irresponsible. It’s not something you just throw out there publicly. Doeren could have handled that with a phone call to Dabo Swinney or the ACC offices and gotten the real story. Instead, he wanted to make himself feel better by lashing out. Bad choice.

Kansas: Just 10 years ago this week, the Jayhawks ascended to the top five of the national polls and eventually went on to the Orange Bowl. Now they are a complete mess, hitting the rock bottom of rock bottom in a 38-9 home loss to Baylor that dropped them to 1-8 almost certainly on the way to 1-11. No progress has been made whatsoever, and in a normal world, the next move for Kansas would be simple. You fire David Beaty, who is 3-30 since he got there with just one win over an FBS team that came last season (Hi, Texas!). Then you fire Sheahon Zenger, the athletics director who hired both him and Charlie Weis, and you start over. But whether Kansas has the institutional will to do that remains to be seen, as Zenger is overseeing a major capital campaign that is supposed to result in a $300 million overhaul of Memorial Stadium. In other words, it’s a bad time to change athletics directors. And you can't let the athletics director who royally messed up two football coaching hires make a third. So Kansas seems stuck, which is somehow more depressing for its fans than the constant losing.

Kentucky: It’s an unofficial SEC rule that when you’re a Kentucky football fan and your team goes to a bowl game, you’re supposed to be happy. You’ll only find 16 of them in the record books going back to the 1940s, and the stretch between 2011 and last season when Mark Stoops finally broke through produced some of the most miserable football you’ll ever see. In other words, the Wildcats should probably be thrilled with the state of their program right now, having already clinched their second consecutive postseason appearance. But somehow, Kentucky has found a way to make even a winning season seem underwhelming. The Wildcats are 6-3, but losing to Ole Miss 37-34 was a gut-punch. Needing one stop to win, Kentucky gave up a 14-play, 72-yard drive and a touchdown with 5 seconds left. Earlier this season, Kentucky blew a 27-14 fourth-quarter lead at home to Florida. Of the Wildcats’ nine games this season, seven of them have been close, and they’ve been fortunate to eke out wins over the likes of Southern Miss, Eastern Michigan and Tennessee. So maybe the odds are just evening out with a couple close losses, but Kentucky is going to look back at this season and realize it left a whole lot on the table.

Oklahoma State: Mike Gundy has won Bedlam before, and he probably will again. As long as he’s in Stillwater, he’ll coach teams that range from solid to really good. But if you’re Gundy or a fan of the Cowboys, don’t you have to wonder if you’re ever going to be elite? Think about this: Oklahoma State has won nine or more games seven times since 2008, finished in the top-15 four times. It’s easily the greatest stretch of football the program has ever experienced. And yet in the decade since Gundy established the Cowboys as a big-time program, they’ve finished the season ahead of Oklahoma in the polls just twice. And by Oklahoma standards, the Sooners have had a really good decade but not a historically great one. With Bob Stoops retiring and Gundy now settling into his prime, Oklahoma State fans have every right to hope this is the stretch where things might even out a little. But if the Cowboys couldn’t take advantage of having a talented senior quarterback, a home game in Bedlam and Oklahoma’s rookie coach, it doesn’t bode well for the next 10 years. Gundy has raised the level of Oklahoma State’s program tremendously and won big without elite talent across the board, but he might be bumping his head up against a ceiling. This should have been a year for Oklahoma State to step to the forefront of the Big 12. Instead, after losing Bedlam 62-52, the Cowboys are stepping aside.

Southern California Trojans running back Ronald Jones II (25) runs the ball in for a touchdown against the Arizona Wildcats during the second half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Gary A. Vasquez, USA TODAY Sports

Washington Huskies wide receiver Dante Pettis (8) celebrates with teammates after returning a punt 64 yards for a touchdown against the Oregon Ducks during the second quarter at Husky Stadium. Pettis broke the NCAA career record for punt-return touchdowns on the play. Jennifer Buchanan, USA TODAY Sports

Michigan State Spartans wide receiver Cody White (7) attempts to make a catch against Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback Amani Oruwariye (21) during the first half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mike Carter, USA TODAY Sports

Clemson Tigers quarterback Kelly Bryant (2) stiff-arms North Carolina State Wolfpack cornerback Johnathan Alston (5) as he runs into the end zone during the second half at Carter-Finley Stadium. Rob Kinnan, USA TODAY Sports

Iowa Hawkeyes defensive back Amani Hooker is congratulated by defensive end Matt Nelson after returning an interception for a touchdown on the first play of the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Kinnick Stadium. Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports

West Virginia Mountaineers defensive coordinator Tony Gibson celebrates with the team after an interception by West Virginia Mountaineers linebacker Al-Rasheed Benton during the first quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Milan Puskar Stadium. Ben Queen, USA TODAY Sports

South Florida Bulls running back D'Ernest Johnson dives for a touchdown against the Connecticut Huskies in the first quarter at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

Connecticut Huskies quarterback Bryant Shirreffs with family members during senior day before the start of the game against the South Florida Bulls at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. David Butler II, USA TODAY Sports

Florida Gators running back Lamical Perine dives in for a touchdown as Missouri Tigers safety Thomas Wilson and defensive back Jerod Alton attempt the tackle during the second half at Faurot Field. Denny Medley, USA TODAY Sports

WKU Hilltoppers tight end Mik'Quan Deane catches a pass along the sideline as he is defended by Vanderbilt Commodores safety Arnold Tarpley III during the first half at Vanderbilt Stadium. Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports

WKU Hilltoppers running back Quinton Baker celebrates after a touchdown reception during the first half against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Vanderbilt Stadium. Christopher Hanewinckel, USA TODAY Sports

Temple wide receiver Isaiah Wright is brought down by Navy linebacker Micah Thomas after making a catch during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Derik Hamilton, USA TODAY Sports

Stanford: For some reason, there’s a lot of wishcasting in the college football world that makes the Cardinal seem better than they really are. Even last week, there were some pundits trying to position Stanford as having an outside College Football Playoff shot despite losses to Southern California and San Diego State. But realistically, Stanford hasn’t been anywhere close to a playoff threat three of the last four seasons, and even the wine and cheese crowd that Stanford usually draws has to be disappointed with 6-3 right now. David Shaw has one of the nation’s most electric players in Bryce Love and an offensive line he really talked up in the offseason, but Stanford has fallen flat against the three best teams on its schedule so far.

Penn State: James Franklin’s angry postgame sprint to make sure one of his players shook hands with Michigan State will be the most memorable thing about Penn State’s 27-24 loss to Michigan State. But the larger narrative coming out of this game centers around his 0-10 record against ranked teams on the road. At some point, if you want to be a championship-winning program, that is one of the hurdles you have to clear. And while Franklin can get both his team and the Penn State crowd whipped into a frenzy for big games in Happy Valley, great programs find a way to go on the road and make it happen. Penn State is probably going to finish 10-2, which is a tremendous regular season. But it won’t necessarily feel that way for a team that had realistic aspirations of making the playoff heading into the fourth quarter against Ohio State and blew an 11-point lead with fewer than six minutes left.

Texas Tech: It’s getting practically no attention nationally, but Kliff Kingsbury continues to get very little done in Lubbock. He’s in his fifth year, and the Red Raiders are really no better off now than they were when he started. Saturday’s 42-35 loss to Kansas State was a debacle. Texas Tech missed a 31-yard field goal that would have clinched the game with 3:40 left, then allowed an 80-yard tying touchdown drive. Despite having 42 seconds left to maybe try and hit a big play, Texas Tech was content with overtime and lost. Reasonable people can debate whether firing him would be a good move or whether there’s a replacement among the ranks of Texas high school-connected coaches who would be better. But Texas Tech is just 1-5 in the Big 12 this season, and it looks like Kingsbury will need to beat either TCU or Texas in the final two weeks to eke out 6-6. While athletics director Kirby Hocutt probably wouldn’t be thrilled about the possibility of looking for a coach while he’s committed to being the College Football Playoff selection committee chairman, Kingsbury’s 14-29 record in the Big 12 has to weigh as a huge concern.

Florida: Can you fire an interim coach? Because if you could, the Gators would have a pretty good case with Randy Shannon. Not only did he lead Florida to a 45-16 loss at Missouri in his debut, but violated the most important tenet of being an interim coach when he played to lose in the third quarter. Down 28-6 starting the third quarter, Florida took up more than 7 minutes on a 14-play drive, at which point there was no option other than scoring a touchdown. So what did Shannon do? He kicked a 24-yard field goal that cut the deficit to 19 and did his team no good at all. Florida has checked out on this season, and now the next humiliation comes next week when former coach Will Muschamp, now leading South Carolina, gets a shot at the Gators.

UCLA: If Friday night’s 48-17 loss at Utah was a preview of what your program is going to look like without Josh Rosen, who was injured and didn’t make the trip, it’s going to be a pretty ugly future with Jim Mora, who hasn’t won enough to justify acting as surly as he does. Outside of that memorable opening night comeback against Texas A&M, there isn’t a single positive thing to take out of this UCLA season. And Mora has quite simply gone backwards over his six seasons after a strong beginning. There’s little mystery what UCLA needs to do. Get rid of Mora, hire Chip Kelly and become a legitimate threat to both Southern California and the Pac-12. That plan, however, requires a boatload of cash and an institutional will that UCLA doesn’t typically demonstrate when it comes to football. The answer is so simple, but without someone willing to pony up the money to execute it, UCLA seems stuck in reverse.

TOO SHOCKED TO BE MISERABLE

Arkansas: At one point Saturday afternoon, the Hogs were the laughing stock of the nation. With 12:57 remaining in the fourth quarter, they actually trailed by 13 points at home to a 1-8 Coastal Carolina team in its first FBS season. Needless to say, of all the indignities this season has brought Arkansas, this would have been the absolute worst. Though Arkansas eventually pulled it out, 39-38, it would be hard to say there’s any more confidence in Bret Bielema today than there was last week.

Navy: We’re so used to Navy exceeding expectations that it’s hard to know how to react when they don’t. After a 5-0 start, this Navy team has now dropped three in a row including last Thursday’s shocking 34-26 loss at Temple. Navy will be an underdog in its next three games to SMU, Notre Dame and Houston, which could project a 5-6 record for the Midshipmen heading into the Army game. Talk about high stakes.

Texas: It would have been fascinating to see what the Texas program would look like today if only it had pursued the best football coach in the state the last two times its job was open. That would be Gary Patterson, who is still at TCU and still making a living handing the Longhorns their collective heads. TCU has now beaten Texas four consecutive times by the following scores: 48-10, 50-7, 31-9 and 24-7 in the most recent meeting. Ironically, TCU only got into the Big 12 in the first place after getting the approval of Texas and former athletics director DeLoss Dodds. Now they’ve created a monster.

Virginia Tech: When it goes bad for the Hokies, it goes really bad. Though nobody really bought them as a legitimate playoff contender, they certainly had a path to get to the ACC title game and hope for an upset of Clemson. But in order to get to the soft finishing part of the schedule, Virginia Tech had to go beat Miami (Fla.). And it didn’t really come close in a 28-10 loss. The Hokies’ defense, normally pretty reliable, gave up 429 yards. Combined with four turnovers from their offense, they basically shot themselves in the foot every time it seemed like momentum might turn their way.

Georgia Tech: This continues to be the unluckiest team in the country. The Yellow Jackets suffered another heartbreaking loss at Virginia, losing 40-36 after Virginia put together a five-play, 64-yard touchdown drive with 1:22 remaining. So Georgia Tech is now 4-4 with a one-point overtime loss to Tennessee, a one-point loss at Miami and a four-point loss at Virginia. In all three of those games, Georgia Tech’s defense couldn’t hold a lead inside the final couple minutes when one stop would have ended it.

FIVE TOTALLY REAL AND IRRATIONAL MESSAGE BOARD THREADS

“Clearly the program has peaked under Meyer, its all downhill” - bucknuts.com (Ohio State)

The Oklahoma State mascot Pistol Pete celebrates on the sidelines during the Camping World Bowl between Oklahoma State and Virginia Tech at Camping World Stadium. Oklahoma State won the game, 30-21. Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports

An American Flag is unfurled during the playing of the national anthem before the Military Bowl between Navy and Virginia at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium. Navy won the game, 49-7. Tommy Gilligan, USA TODAY Sports

The Purdue Boilermakers Special mascot brings the team onto the field before the start of the Foster Farms Bowl at Levi's Stadium. Purdue defeated Arizona, 38-35, in the game. Neville E. Guard, USA TODAY Sports

Tuba players in the Kansas State Wildcats Pride of Wildcat Land Marching Band perform during pre-game activities of a game between the Iowa State Cyclones and the Kansas State Wildcats at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. Scott Sewell, USA TODAY Sports

The Miami Hurricanes mascot Sebastian dances on the field during a time out in the game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Virginia Cavaliers during the second half at Hard Rock Stadium. Jasen Vinlove, USA TODAY Sports

Fans reacts after the game between the Mississippi Rebels and the Arkansas Razorbacks at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Arkansas Razorbacks defeated the Mississippi Rebels 38-37. Justin Ford, USA TODAY Sports

Policemen salute the Iowa Children's Hospital at the end of the first quarter during the game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Penn State Nittany Lions at Kinnick Stadium. Jeffrey Becker,USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Mike Gundy spells out OSU from the cheerleader line following their 44-7 victory over the South Alabama Jaguars at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. John David Mercer, USA TODAY Sports